Search

By analyzing and reflecting on the characteristics of the network in teaching applications and some problems that arise in the traditional classroom teaching mode and classroom teaching in the network environment, some ideas and measures are proposed on how to strengthen and improve the organization and management of teaching in the network environment, and for the effective integration of teaching elements and resources. This paper proposes a teaching evaluation model based on a weighted plain Bayesian algorithm. According to the degree of influence of different attributes on the evaluation results, a method is proposed to determine the weights of each evaluation attribute using the correlation probabilities of class attributes and set the corresponding weights for each evaluation index. The experiment demonstrates that the accuracy of using the weighted plain Bayesian algorithm to construct the model for classification can reach 75%, and the average accuracy can be improved by about 3% compared with the traditional Bayesian classification algorithm.

ImportanceSialic acid–binding immunoglobulin-like lectin 15 (Siglec-15) is a novel immune checkpoint molecule that is highly homologous to programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1), but information remains limited about its role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).ObjectiveTo explore the expression pattern and association of Siglec-15 with outcomes among patients with ESCC who received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT).Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis retrospective cohort study was conducted at an academic institution in China. Participants included patients with ESCC who underwent neoadjuvant CRT and esophagectomy between June 2002 and December 2018. Multiplexed immunofluorescence staining was used to evaluate the expression of Siglec-15 and PD-L1 in tumor cells (TCs) or tumor-associated macrophages based on pre-CRT biopsies. Different immune phenotypes have been proposed and further validated in an independent cohort. Data analysis was conducted from January to May 2021.ExposuresSiglec-15 or PD-L1 positivity vs negativity.Main Outcomes and MeasuresPathologic complete response (pCR), overall survival (OS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS).ResultsOf 130 participants (median [range] age, 56 [42-73] years; 108 [83.1%] male participants) in the primary cohort, 58 patients (44.6%) achieved a pCR after neoadjuvant CRT. Siglec-15 and PD-L1 were detected in both TCs and macrophages. The percentage of Siglec-15–positive macrophages was notably higher than that of Siglec-15–positive TCs (median [IQR]: 34.4% [12.7%-64.3%] vs 4.8% [0.7%-25.6%]; P r = 0.78; P P = .04), more favorable OS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.46; 95% CI, 0.25-0.85; P = .01), and RFS (HR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.26–0.88; P = .02). However, PD-L1 positivity in TCs was negatively associated with survival. Stratification analysis further revealed that patients with combined Siglec-15 positivity and PD-L1 negativity had better survival than those with other phenotypes. Major findings were reproducible in a validation cohort with 55 patients.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this cohort study of patients with ESCC receiving neoadjuvant CRT, Siglec-15 positivity was associated with a better pathological response and more favorable survival. Siglec-15 could serve as a novel biomarker to identify potential candidates that may benefit from immunotherapy combined with CRT.

Dental calculus is a potential material that can be used for assessing chronic exposure to trace heavy metals in oral cavity as it is a long-term reservoir. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between dental calculus copper levels and risk of oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) due to chewing dried areca-nut quids in Mainland China. This study included 34 OSF (grade 1) sufferers with dried areca-nut quids chewing as the patient group and 23 healthy individuals without areca-nut chewing as the control group. The dental calculus sample was obtained from all 57 participants and evaluated by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for dental calculus level of copper. This work revealed that the mean copper level of dental calculus was significantly higher in OSF (grade 1) sufferers with areca-nut chewing than those in healthy individuals without areca-nut chewing (p 0.001). This work provided an evidence to support that there may be a positive correlation between elevated levels of copper in dental calculus caused by chewing dried areca-nut quids and an increased risk of developing OSF in Mainland China.

Sulfonylurea herbicides are widely used as acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors due to their super-efficient activity. However, some sulfonylurea herbicides show toxicity under crop rotation due to their long degradation time, for example, chlorsulfuron. Our research goal is to obtain chlorsulfuron-derived herbicides with controllable degradation time, good crop safety and high herbicidal activities. Based on our previously reported results in acidic soil, we studied the degradation behaviors of 5-dialkylamino-substituted chlorsulfuron derivatives (NL101–NL108) in alkaline soil (pH 8.39). The experimental data indicate that addition of the 5-dialkylamino groups on the benzene ring of chlorsulfuron greatly accelerated degradation in alkaline soil. These chlorsulfuron derivatives degrade 10.8 to 51.8 times faster than chlorsulfuron and exhibit excellent crop safety on wheat and corn (through pre-emergence treatment). With a comprehensive consideration of structures, bioassay activities, soil degradation and crop safety, it could be concluded that 5-dialkylamino-substituted chlorsulfuron derivatives are potential green sulfonylurea herbicides for pre-emergence treatment on both wheat and corn. The study also provides valuable information for the discovery of new sulfonylurea herbicides for crop rotation.

Water availability plays a critical role in shaping terrestrial ecosystems, particularly in low- and mid-latitude regions. The sensitivity of vegetation growth to precipitation strongly regulates global vegetation dynamics and their responses to drought, yet sensitivity changes in response to climate change remain poorly understood. Here we use long-term satellite observations combined with a dynamic statistical learning approach to examine changes in the sensitivity of vegetation greenness to precipitation over the past four decades. We observe a robust increase in precipitation sensitivity (0.624% yr

Access to food, water, and good air quality is indispensable for human life, as reflected in various United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); however, pursuing food security may pose threats to water security and/or air quality. An important case is northwest India including the Punjab and Haryana states, which is the ‘breadbasket’ of India with a significantly increasing paddy rice area. The rapid expansion of rice farming has stressed groundwater resources and impacted air quality. Satellite observations have the potential to provide data for better decisions on food security, water storage, and air pollution, which would be vital for regional sustainable development. Based on observations from multiple satellites from 2001 to 2018, we found that paddy rice expansion (+22%) increased groundwater depletion (−1.50 cm/yr), residue burning (+500%), and air pollution (+29%, PM2.5) in the breadbasket of India. Moreover, satellite observations showed changes in these interactions after the enactment of a groundwater protection policy in 2009, which decelerated groundwater depletion (−1.20 cm/yr) due to delayed rice planting and harvest dates (∼15d); the latter elevated air pollution in November (+29%, PM2.5). Our finding stresses the need to reconcile the trade-offs and consider the interactions among SDGs 2 (food), 3 (good health), 6 (clean water), and 11 (air quality in cities), in policy-making for sustainable development. An efficient crop residue ultilization and management system, bottom-up groundwater use regulations, and cropping system shift towards less water-consuming crops are critically required to resolve the trade-offs of the food-water–air quality nexus in the northern India. Our study also showcases remote sensing approaches and methods to support and aid the achievement of the SDGs and track their progreses to support regional sustainable development.

The impacts of alternating dry and wet conditions on water production and carbon uptake at different scales remain unclear, which limits the integrated management of water and carbon. We quantified the response of runoff efficiency (RE) and plant water-use efficiency (PWUE) to a typical shift from dry to wet episode of 2003-2014 in Australia's Murray-Darling basin using good and specific data products for local application, including Australian Water Availability Project, Penman-Monteith-Leuning Evapotranspiration V2 product, MODIS MCD12Q1 V6 Land Cover Type and MODIS MOD17A3 V055 GPP product. The results show that there are significant power function relationships between RE and precipitation for basin and all ecosystems, while the PWUE had a negative quadratic correlation with precipitation and satisfied the significance levels of 0.05 for basin and the ecosystems except the grassland and cropland. The shrubs can achieve the best water production and carbon uptake under dry conditions, while the evergreen broadleaf trees and evergreen needleleaf trees can obtain the best water production and carbon uptake in wet conditions, respectively. These findings help integrated basin management for balancing water resource production and climate change mitigation.

Afforestation substantially modifies native soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition via plant carbon inputs (the priming effect), and in turn, triggers vital biogeochemical processes that influence the regulation of soil carbon dynamics. Soil microbes are crucial in regulating the direction and magnitude of the priming effect. In the present study, we performed metagenomic sequencing and

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease of public health concern. The most devastating pathology in schistosomiasis japonica and mansoni is mainly attributed to the egg-induced granulomatous response and secondary fibrosis in host liver, which may lead to portal hypertension or even death of the host. Schistosome eggs induce M2 macrophages-rich granulomas and these M2 macrophages play critical roles in the maintenance of granuloma and subsequent fibrosis. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are highly produced by stimulated macrophages during infection and necessary for the differentiation of M2 macrophages, are massively distributed around deposited eggs in the liver. However, whether ROS are induced by schistosome eggs to subsequently promote M2 macrophage differentiation, and the possible underlying mechanisms as well, remain to be clarified during S. japonicum infection. Herein, we observed that extensive expression of ROS in the liver of S. japonicum-infected mice. Injection of ROS inhibitor in infected mice resulted in reduced hepatic granulomatous responses and fibrosis. Further investigations revealed that inhibition of ROS production in S. japonicum-infected mice reduces the differentiation of M2, accompanied by increased M1 macrophage differentiation. Finally, we proved that S. japonicum egg antigens (SEA) induce a high level of ROS production via both nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase 2 (NOX2) and mitochondria in macrophages. Our study may help to better understand the mechanism of schistosomiasis japonica-induced hepatic pathology and contribute to the development of potential therapeutic strategies by interfering with ROS production., Author summary Schistosomiasis is a neglected parasitic disease of poverty that affects ~200 million people mainly in (sub)tropical regions, resulting in a massive health burden and serious morbidity. During Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) or S. mansoni infection, parasite eggs are trapped in host liver and induce hepatic granulomas and fibrosis, which leads to severe liver damage, and even death of the host. In hepatic schistosomiasis, considerable amounts of ROS accumulate in granulomas surrounding liver-trapped eggs. However, whether schistosome eggs trigger the production of ROS, and if so, whether and how ROS promote hepatic pathology in host remain unknown. In this study, the authors illustrated that S. japonicum eggs evoke high production of ROS in macrophages, which is necessary for egg-mediated M2 macrophage differentiation and promotes hepatic granulomas and fibrosis in S. japonicum-infected mice. These discoveries provide a potential target regarding schistosome eggs-induced ROS production, which can be manipulated to regulate immunopathology in hepatic schistosomiasis.

Rapid industrialization and urbanization have caused severe air pollution in Shanghai, China, which occurs frequently in recent winters. Here, the relationships between boundary layer structure and PM2.5 under different synoptic patterns were analysed. Firstly, the wintertime synoptic circulation patterns in Shanghai have been classified into seven types using the obliquely rotated Principal Components in T-mode (PCT) method based on the 925 hPa geopotential data. Then, the fine-resolution sounding-derived structures of planetary boundary layer (PBL) in these patterns, including PBL height (PBLH), inversion base height, and inversion intensity, combined with the relative humidity (RH) and temperature were analysed with respect to PM2.5. The results showed that three typical patterns, including high pressure located to the west, and those to the southwest and south of Shanghai, accounted for 62.17% of the total number of cases characterized by high PM2.5 concentrations. The north-westerly winds were found to dominate these specific synoptic patterns, causing severe pollution when polluted air masses from the northwest region of China were brought into Shanghai. The local meteorological factors within the PBL also influenced PM2.5 to varying extent in Shanghai under different synoptic conditions. Particularly, the PM2.5 concentrations were anti-correlated with PBLH (R = -0.2 at 0800 Beijing Local Time (BJT); R = -0.3 at 2000 BJT). Also, temperature inversion played an important role in aerosol pollution. The intensity of temperature inversion was slightly correlated with PM2.5 (R = 0.13). The base height of the temperature inversion was more closely anti-correlated with PM2.5 (R = -0.25). The frequent near-surface temperature inversions in the latter two synoptic patterns were unfavourable for the spread and dispersion of aerosol pollutants in the PBL, thus leading to severe aerosol pollution. This study has important implications for better understanding of the association of atmospheric circulation patterns with air pollution episodes in Shanghai.

Background This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and dosimetric factors predictive of acute anal toxicity (AAT) after radiotherapy in prostate cancer (PCa) patients with or without hemorrhoids. Methods We analyzed data from 347 PCa patients (248 cases treated from July 2013 to November 2017 for training cohort and 99 cases treated in 2018 for validation cohort) treated with pelvic radiotherapy at a single institution. Anal canal dose–volume histogram was used to determine the prescribed dose. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate the risk of AAT as a function of clinical and dosimetric factors. Results Totally, 39.5% (98/248) and 31.3% (31/99) of the PCa patients developed AAT in training and validation cohorts, respectively. The incidence of AAT was much higher in patients with hemorrhoids than in those without hemorrhoids in both training and validation cohorts. Hemorrhoids and volume received more than 20 Gy (V20) were valuated as independent factors for predicting AAT in training cohort. Similar results were also observed in our validation cohort. The combination of hemorrhoids and high anal canal V20 (> 74.93% as determined by ROC curves) showed the highest specificity and positive predictive values for predicting AAT in both training and validation cohorts. Conclusions AAT occurs commonly in PCa patients with hemorrhoids during and after pelvic radiotherapy. Hemorrhoids and anal canal V20 are independent predictors of AAT. These factors should be carefully considered during treatment planning to minimize the incidence of AAT.

A novel cobalt-based metal-organic framework, {[Co2(DPNDI)(2,6-NDC)2]·7(DMF)}n (1), has been solvothermally synthesized from mixed ligands, N,N′-Di(4-pyridyl)-1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetracarboxydiimide (DPNDI) and naphthalene-2,6-dicarboxylic acid (2,6-NDC). In the crystal structure of 1, the paddle-wheel {Co2} clusters were linked by two DPNDI ligands and four deprotonated 2,6-NDC ligands, which were further extended into a 2-fold interpenetrated 3D pillared-layer MOF with pcu topology. Interestingly, 1 exhibits high thermal stability (up to 400 °C) and high solvatochromic sensitivity to water within 10s. This is the first naphthalenediimide-based Co-MOFs with remarkable sensitivity and fast response for traces of water detection as low as 0.6% in dry DMF solvent. What's more, it could be used as a naked-eye colorimetric sensor to humidity in practical application.

Vegetation, climate and topography have been empirically formulated into the controlling parameter of the Budyko model (ω) to estimate evapotranspiration (ET). However, these variables, if simultaneously employed, may induce multicollinearity problems because of their potential interactions. Further, these interactions may vary with different time scales and subsequently result in the inaccurate estimation of ω. As such, we investigated the interactions of vegetation, climate and topography and their corresponding effects on ET modelling at different time scales by employing vegetation coverage (M), an improved climate seasonality and asynchrony index (SAI), the fraction of precipitation falling as snow (fs) and relative basin relief (BR/ B R ¯ ), in 30 catchments in China’s Loess Plateau. We found that, on annual scale, M and SAI were significantly related to ω, while being independent from each other; in consequence, both of them should be parameterized into the Budyko model on the annual scale for better ET modelling. However, the links between M and SAI became stronger with increased time scales, the parameterization of ω should thus be reformatted for longer periods. When extended to a 30-year period, ω was closely related to the above variables, but M was highly intercorrelated with SAI and BR/ B R ¯ , and fs was significantly related to BR/ B R ¯ . The independent M and fs were finally selected to fit ω, which allowed mean annual ET to be accurately modelled on long-term scale. Identification of the dominant factors applicable at different time scales can simplify the empirical parameterization of the Budyko formula and thereby facilitate more accurate estimation of ET.

Several studies have highlighted the underlying role of mesenchymal stem cells microvesicles (MSC-MVs) in acute lung injury (ALI). Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) derived from MSC-MVs is partly involved in their therapeutic effects; however, the detailed mechanism remains unclear. MVs were isolated from human Wharton's Jelly MSCs. The rat model of ALI was established by intratracheal instillation of bleomycin (BLM). A co-culture model of alveolar epithelial cells or pulmonary endothelial cells and MSC-MVs was utilized. Total protein content in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was determined by bicinchoninic acid method. White blood cell (WBC) and neutrophil in BALF were counted. ELISA was used for the determination of cytokines and HGF in BALF. Apoptosis was determined by TUNEL assay and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining as well as caspase-3 activity detection. HE and Masson staining of lung tissues was used for histopathology analysis. The expression of HGF and proteins involved in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway were measured by quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blotting. Treatment with MSC-MVs significantly inhibited BLM-induced apoptosis and fibrosis in lung tissues and PI3K/AKT/mTOR activation, which was reversed by HGF mRNA deficient MVs. Intriguingly, these effects were completely abrogated by PI3K inhibitor. The therapeutic effect of MSC-MVs in ALI was partly mediated through HGF mRNA.

Revegetation, especially afforestation, has served as an important tool for controlling desertification. However, revegetation in water-limited regions will inevitably reduce the water available for socio-economic systems, which is poorly considered in decision-making on sustainable ecosystem management. This paper proposed a framework to determine the threshold of vegetation productivity (i.e., ecosystem carrying capacity), corresponding to available water resources for ecosystems (i.e., annual precipitation minus water demand for socio-economic systems) on the Loess Plateau. The average annual ecosystem carrying capacity (ECC) during 1982–2012 is 577 ± 124 g C m−2 yr−1, with spatial gradients increasing from northwest to southeast. Vegetation in rocky mountain areas has the largest value of 833 ± 200 g C m−2 yr−1. Factorial analysis suggests that changes in precipitation and human water use contributed to 55% and 45% of the multi-decadal changes in regional ECC, respectively. Meanwhile, due to revegetation, 26 counties on the Loess Plateau, mainly in the southeast and eastern parts, have exceeded the ECC threshold during the study period. An additional 138 counties have a high potential for water competition between the ecosystems and socio-economic systems. At the regional scale, there are 9 years (∼30% of the study period) during which the ECC threshold has been exceeded, especially after 1997. Considering the climate change in the future and the growing demand for water in socio-economic systems, the corresponding ECC threshold will increase by 6–36%. We believe that these findings can provide reference for policy-makers to make decisions towards ecosystem sustainability while meeting human needs for water resources.

Canopy conductance (Gc) largely regulates carbon/water cycling and land–atmosphere interactions, but quantifying Gc using eddy flux data is limited by the difficulty of partitioning plant transpiration (T) and surface evaporation (E). We introduced an underlying water use efficiency (uWUE) method to partition evapotranspiration (ET) in an oasis maize ecosystem, and cross–compared with the Shuttleworth and Wallace (SW) model, the lysimeter and isotope measurements. We then estimated surface conductance (Gs) by ET and Gc by T partitioned using the uWUE method, followed by a performance evaluation on the Jarvis model parameterized with both Gs and Gc. The results showed that T/ET estimated by the uWUE method was close to the isotope method in the peak growing season of 2012, it showed similar seasonal variations with the lysimeter/eddy covariance method and the SW model throughout this growing season. Daily T partitioned by the uWUE method was in good agreement with the SW model from 2012 to 2015 (r2 = 0.91). Additionally, Gc had more significant seasonal variations than Gs. The Jarvis model parameterized with Gc exhibited superior performance than those with Gs. Our study suggests that the uWUE method can exclude influences of nonstomatal conductances, and will have great potential to provide more reasonable parameterization for simulation of plant stomata.

To investigate the relationship between treatment-related lymphopenia and pathologic response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Between 2002 and 2016, 220 ESCC patients treated with neoadjuvant CRT followed by surgery were retrospectively analyzed. Absolute lymphocyte count was determined before, during, and 1 month after neoadjuvant CRT. Treatment-related lymphopenia was graded using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0. Relationship between lymphopenia with pathologic complete response (pCR) and recurrence were evaluated. Ninety-five patients (43.2%) achieved a pCR after neoadjuvant CRT and 71 patients (32.3%) developed recurrences. The incidence of grade 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 lymphopenia during CRT were 1.8%, 6.8%, 31.4%, 38.2% and 21.8%, respectively. Patients with grade 4 lymphopenia had a significantly lower pCR rate than those with grade 0-3 lymphopenia (22.9% vs. 48.8%, P = 0.001). Moreover, grade 4 lymphopenia was significantly associated with a higher risk of recurrences (45.8% vs. 28.5%, P = 0.023). Multivariable analysis identified that primary tumor length, tumor location, and radiation dose were independent predictors for grade 4 lymphopenia. ESCC patients with grade 4 lymphopenia during neoadjuvant CRT were associated with a significantly lower pCR rate and a higher recurrence risk.

Friction stir processing (FSP) followed by aging treatment is used to modify the microstructure and improve the mechanical properties of the as-cast AE42 rare earth-containing magnesium alloy. FSP results in grain refinement and microstructural homogenization. The grain size decreases from 81 to 7.4 μm because of continuous dynamic recrystallization. After FSP, basal texture forms, and Mg17Al12 and Al11RE3 phases disappear, while a new Al2RE phase appear. After aging treatment, precipitation of Al2RE phase appears and the intensity of texture reduce. Tensile properties of the FSP specimens exhibit an anisotropy obviously before and after the aging. Deformation mechanism of the FSP specimens follows the dislocation basal slip and the extension twin. Factors influencing strength of the as-cast AE42 Mg alloy are (a) secondary phases, (b) texture and (c) grain size.

In this work, heterostructured Au@PbTiO3 nanoplates were synthesized successfully via a simple hydrothermal process. It is revealed that Au islands with the size of 8–20 nm selectively deposited on the positively polarized surface of the single-crystal and single-domain PbTiO3 nonaplates. The composite demonstrates an efficient photocatalytic performance toward degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) solution under UV light. The possible mechanism is that the ferroelectric polarization efficiently separates the photogenerated electrons and holes and reduces the recombination of them. Then, the ferroelectric polarization field urged the electrons concentrated on the positively polarized surface and then transformed oxygen into superoxide radicals to enhance the photocatalytic activity. Recycled activity tests show that the heterostructured Au@PbTiO3 nanoplates would inhibit the photocorrosion behavior and provide high stability.

Five isomorphic lanthanide metal-organic frameworks constructed from 5-(3-carboxy-phenyl)-pyridine-2-carboxylic acid (H2cppca) and oxalate (H2ox), {[Ln2(cppca)2(ox)(H2O)2]·2H2O}n [Ln = Eu (1), Gd (2), Nd (3), Pr (4),Tb (5)] have been successfully synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X ray diffraction, elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, thermal analysis, and powder X-ray diffraction. In compounds 1–5, inorganic helical Ln-O chain and cppca2- anions are interconnected to form a one-dimension (1D) helical metal-organic chain, then 1D metal-organic chains are linked into a three-dimension achiral network with 1D channel of 6.31 × 10.13 A2, showing an unprecedented (4,5)-connected topology net with Schlafli symbol {44.62}{44.64.82}. Fluorescent experiment indicated that compounds 1 and 5 show sensitive luminescence quenching response to aniline, and the corresponding quenching constants (Ksv) are 2.81 × 104 M−1 and 3.14 × 104 M−1, respectively. The detection limits of aniline are 3.06 μM for 1 and 2.29 μM for 5. Moreover, compounds 1 and 5 are very stable and their reusability is relatively high and the fluorescence can be easily recovered after washing.

Background Three-dimensional ultrasound (3DUS) is an attractive option in image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) for prostate cancer (PCa) patients. However, the potential factors influencing the accuracy of 3DUS in comparison with cone-beam CT (CBCT) in IGRT for PCa patients haven’t been clearly identified. Methods The differences between US/US and CBCT/CT registrations were analyzed over 586 and 580 sessions for 24 and 25 PCa patients treated with or without pelvic lymph node irradiation, respectively. The clinical factors that may influence registration differences were also evaluated. Results The average discrepancies between US/US and CBCT/CT registrations were − 0.28 ± 5.28 mm, − 0.16 ± 3.48 mm, and − 0.47 ± 4.31 mm in the superior-inferior (SI), left-right (LR), and anterior-posterior (AP) directions, respectively. The discrepancies were respectively less than 5 mm longitudinally, laterally, and vertically in 64.4 and 70.1%, 84.9 and 89.2%, and 75.9 and 79.1% of the patients treated with or without pelvic lymph node irradiation, respectively. The registration differences were significantly smaller at least in one direction in patients younger than 70 years, without pelvic lymph node irradiation, guided by transperineal ultrasonography and had a bladder volume smaller than 300 mL. Conclusions Age, irradiated regions, 3DUS modality, and bladder volume are important factors that may influence the differences between US/US and CBCT/CT registrations. 3DUS guidance is more feasible for younger PCa patients with a better control of bladder volume during the treatment and those who did not undergo pelvic lymph node irradiation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13014-019-1217-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Context Ganoderma sinensis Zhao, Xu et Zhang (Ganodermataceae) has been used for the prevention or treatment of a variety of diseases, including cancer. Objective We investigated the antitumor activity and mechanism of an extract from G. sinensis against hepatocellular carcinoma. Materials and methods A G. sinensis extract (GSE) was obtained from sporoderm-broken G. sinensis spores by supercritical fluid carbon dioxide extraction. Hepatoma cells, HepG2 cells, were treated with emulsified sample of GSE at 12.5, 25, 50, 100 and 150 μg/mL for 24 h. The Alamar Blue assay was used to examine growth inhibitory effects. Changes in cell structure and morphology were assessed via transmission electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscope. Cell cycle distribution was analysed by flow cytometry. Results GSE suppressed the proliferation of HepG2 cells (IC50=70.14 μg/mL). Extensive cytoplasmic vacuolation originating from dilation of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) was shown in GSE-treated HepG2 cells. GSE treatment also upregulated the expression of ER stress-related proteins in HepG2 cells. Cells tended to be arrested at the G2/M cell cycle stage after GSE treatment (30.8 ± 1.4% and 42.2 ± 2.6% at GSE with 50 μg/mL and 100 μg/mL vs. 21.03 ± 1.10%, control). Pre-treatment with salubrinal, an inhibitor of ER stress, effectively attenuated cell cycle arrest induced by GSE. Discussion and conclusions Our findings provide new evidence that GSE suppresses growth of cancer cells in vitro through activating the ER stress pathway. The GSE may be clinically applied in the prevention and/or treatment of cancer.

A hexagonal prismatic Cu